Salutations Everyone!
A week ago, from today, was one of the most fulfilling days of my life…I’m still on a high from the 2018 Fall Celebration! As I watched the families pour in, and everyone laughing and having a good time, I thought to myself “mission accomplished”…
I wanted to erase the “scared to death” component of October 31st… I want October 31st to now be “out of character fun” in my world (hence the embracing of dressing up in non-scary costumes). Why am I so adamant about removing the scary component from October 31st? Because our everyday lives have become just like a horror movie; the world is already an extremely scary place…Things aren’t like they used to be…Once upon a time, we could leave our front doors opened; we can’t do that anymore (have you seen how many home invasions occur these days?)…Once upon a time, places of worship were like a safe-havens, now people are being murdered in them…We used to be able to let our kids go to the park alone, without fearing for their lives, now, we are petrified that they will go missing without a trace (where is Ariel Kouaku?) Given the scary world that we live in, do we really need a day with amplified fear? In my opinion, no…We need the opposite, we need a day with a surplus of love, fun, togetherness and sweet things! And for me, that was the vibe at the 2018 FALL CELEBRATION!
Some things didn’t go as planned, but overall, the FALL CELEBRATION was a success, and it wouldn’t have been a success without the support of my community. YOU GUYS made this possible and I will FOREVER be grateful for you guys. I LOVE YOU GUYS and I thank you for trusting my vision and leadership, and thank you for supporting my dreams. 🙌🏾
There are some specific people that I MUST give a special THANK YOU to because they either made a donation towards the event and/or volunteered the night of the event… If there is anyone that I forgot, please forgive me as so many people came together to make this event possible… I tried to keep a running list, but coming down closer to the event, things got pretty hectic…
THANK YOU!
Mr. Alix Adrien (principal of Lasalle Elementary Jr.) deserves the biggest THANK YOU because he was one of the first people to believe in me and this event, and always does whatever he can do, within his power, to ensure that we have a safe place to hold this event.
| Lasalle Elementary Junior Staff (especially Ms. Tammy Grant-Ojibe) | Gloria Hinkson |
| The Beurling Academy Home & School Association | Hailee Mingo |
| Eva R. Gsum Foundation | Heidi Germann (Momentz in Tyme Photography) |
| Wendy L. McKenzie Enterprises | Kiara Hinkson-Belone |
| Loreena Gabriel (The Crown Project) | Kimberly Juste & Grandparents |
| Running With Wolves Podcast Family | MONTREAL FAMILIES magazine |
| West-Can Folk Performing Company | Nadine Bailey |
| Coniah’s Sweet Creations | Obie Ojibe |
| Robert Sargent | Olivia Pisano |
| Akil Alleyne (CityNews video journalist) | Omari Sparks |
| The OFC | Perry Bulaya |
| The Morning Detour (CKUT’s urban/hip hop morning show) | Quintina Haddock-Small
Rhea Sandy |
| “Mama Rosie” | Rick (Soca Survivors and Central Boys International Association- CBIA) |
| Aisha Delpeche (Conversations with Aisha) | Sarah Leslie (Beurling Academy IB student) |
| Brenda Contreras | Shiana Warren (Shiana Health) |
| Cassandra Trotman | Skillz Cuisine |
| Cecil Hinkson | Taneia Hinkson-Belone |
| Christine Layne | Tia McKenzie |
| Donna Gurley | Tristan Grant |
| Faye Cummings (Sweet Tooth Creations) | Valerie Allen ( Luxurious Mane) |
Again, thank you to everyone who made this event possible… If you have photos from this event, please send them to us as we would like to build a photo album! You can email your pictures to StrongHinkson@gmail.com.
